Just then, a meal cart bearing nutritious dishes was wheeled in.

Looking at the cart, Holden offered, "Would you like some?"

Trying to add a bit of warmth to the conversation, Holden added, "I ordered this nutritious meal especially for you."

Mitchel gave a nod and replied, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Holden replied dryly.

The silence in the ward resumed. The nurse came in, set the nutritious meal on the small table, and left.

The meal was quite hearty. Mitchel looked at it and sat up straighter. Just as he was about to eat, he saw Holden sit down next to the table. Holden reached for the food first.

Seeing that, Mitchel wondered if Holden might be hungry, so he stayed quiet and tried to reach for another dish. But suddenly, Holden scooped up some vegetable and potato puree with a spoon and offered it to Mitchel.

Stunned, Mitchel stared at Holden in surprise. After a while, he finally managed to stammer, "What are you doing... I..."

Mitchel's thoughts were jumbled by Holden's unexpected gesture, and Holden, losing patience, said flatly, "Open your mouth."

Mitchel looked at Holden, who was sitting at a distance, clearly not wanting to feed him.

And Mitchel didn't want to be fed by Holden, either. Gazing at the food, he hesitated before saying, "I can still use my hands. I can feed myself."

Holden looked at Mitchel with a darkened expression and said, "Do you think I want to feed you? With your shoulder injury, you really shouldn't be moving too much. I've never fed a man before, so please, just eat quickly."

After he spoke, an awkward silence filled the hospital room.

Mitchel felt uncomfortable with the idea of being fed by another man and struggled internally with the situation.

At the same time, Holden became increasingly impatient, frequently glancing towards the door, dreading Ariana's return. He didn't want Ariana feeding Mitchel. Breaking the silence, he said, "When Ariana comes back and sees you eating by yourself, she'll probably insist on feeding you herself."

The tension around Holden was palpable. "She feels guilty, you know. She wouldn't want you straining yourself," he said.

His voice carried a mix of jealousy and frustration, making it clear that he would be upset if Ariana came back and took over feeding Mitchel.

Another pause followed.

Thankfully, Mitchel didn't challenge him. After a moment, Mitchel simply said, "Okay." He then opened his mouth with an expressionless face.